


Lonely Rain

by HydraNoMago



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Assumptions, Chocobros - Freeform, Dreams, Fantasy and Reality, Friendship, Future, Hurt, Love, M/M, Mild Angst, Near Future, Self conversation, Tears
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-13
Updated: 2016-09-13
Packaged: 2018-08-14 20:52:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8028538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HydraNoMago/pseuds/HydraNoMago
Summary: “Prompto, please... Don't leave me... Please...” He fists the sheets, and Prompto embraces him, runs his hands up and down his back soothingly until the small tremors stop. “Shh, shh,... It's okay Noct. I'll always be here for you.” The raven shakes his head violently. He knows it's a lie, it's all a lie. He never stays, 
“I'm always with you Noct. Always.” 
Set in near future of FFXV verse, when the war is over.





	Lonely Rain

**Author's Note:**

> Have a listen to Yuya Matsushita's song of the same title! It's what inspired me to write this in the first place. 
> 
> Enjoy reading! :D

* * *

 

There is a warm body cradled in his own, he feels the touch of messy limbs sprawled across each other and the tickling sensation of hair underneath his nose. The one in his arms shifts, stretching out from his grasp. He knows for a fact that it should be morning by now, but he refuses to get up from the warm nest of blankets and intends to make his partner stay. So he links his arms tighter around the other, nuzzling his face into the soft locks. “Don't go yet. Stay.” he murmurs sleepily, aware that his partner has stopped trying to wriggle from his hold. A hand comes to rest on his cheek, slightly cold, and strokes in light circles. _He's smiling._ He cracks open his eyelids a notch, blinking as the first streaks of dawn drift into their bedroom through the window. “Mornin' sleepyhead.” sounds his partner as a chaste kiss is planted onto his forehead.

 

He discovers his own lips tugging upwards into a dorky smile, one he always wore whenever he was around his partner. “Good morning to you too,” comes the response as he cradles the other even closer, burying his face in line with protruding collarbones. “Mm, don't feel like getting up Prom... Stay with me.” he whines, something petulant in his voice. The blond chuckles, the low sound causing vibrations to flow throughout his body. “You know I can't Noct. I can't stay too long.” he whispers as he cards his fingers through raven locks, gently massaging the scalp. Noctis huffs, but he makes no move to let go just yet. When he speaks, his voice is unbelievably soft and vulnerable. “Prompto, please... Don't leave me... Please...” He fists the sheets, and Prompto embraces him, runs his hands up and down his back soothingly until the small tremors stop. “Shh, shh,... It's okay Noct. I'll always be here for you.” The raven shakes his head violently. _It's a lie, it's all a lie. You never stay. You always disappear from my side._ He hiccups, acutely aware that his time with Prompto is running out. The other knows it too, and kisses him tenderly on the lips, slow and sweet. Noctis wishes that the kiss could last, would last them an eternity.

 

“I'm always with you Noct. Always.”

 

* * *

 

 

He wakes up in his bed abruptly, a thin layer of sweat forming on his body despite the chilly weather outside. He breathes deep, trying to calm his harsh inhales and his rapid pulse, the _ba-dump ba-dump_ resonating in his ears like an angry bee. The large bed is empty save for him, the sheets are cold. He sits up to intake more oxygen as he runs fingers across the fluffy pillows. _He isn't here... Of course he isn't here. He has never been here._ With a tired sigh, Noctis rubs his face with his hands, images from his dream fresh in the recesses of his mind.

 

It was always the same dream, always the same promise, always the same disappointment in the end. Prompto was never here, and he will never be here, no matter how many times he says he will be. Noctis sighs into his hands, lets the appendages fall limply to his sides as he stares at the curtains in a daze. Slowly, he musters the will to get out of bed, throwing the thick duvets and slipping on the bunny slippers Gladio gifted him for his birthday. He walks straight to the bathroom, not bothering to see the light of a new day. Perhaps if he pretended it was still night Prompto would come back. As if.

 

He scoffs at his own insanity and the look of himself in the mirror. His hair was a bird's nest, his beard was shaggy, he had bags under his eyes and he looked pale as a ghost. He was forty now, sprouting grey strands and having aching knees. The war had been won and peace partially restored years ago. The young man who first went on a journey to Altissia was no longer here, all his life and vigour replaced with this impostor, this shell of a human. He scratches his beard, deciding he needs a shave lest Ignis thoroughly lectures him on the necessities of personal hygiene again.

 

When he enters the dining hall, Ignis and Gladio both are already there, waiting as usual. He greets them a good morning each, nods to the hulking bodyguard and pats his aide on the shoulder. Albeit an odd habit for a king, he makes it a point to eat at least breakfast every day with his two closest friends. Noctis understands that the maids and butlers whisper behind his back, but he could care less. He wanted, _needed_ to spend time with his friends. They were all he had in this world.

 

As they tucked in to a hearty meal, small talk was made. Gladio mentioned something about the latest recruits, how they were wet behind the ears and he would be having an oh-so-pitiful time training them all alone, which elicited snickers from the other two. Ignis continues with a new installation of the controversial artist Libertus' work at the plaza this weekend, something he would love to go see on his time off. Noctis smiles into the bread he was munching on, trust someone like Ignis to spend his off days admiring art. Soon they veered into even more mundane topics, coupled with some very good gossip from around the palace. This was normalcy, this was what he craved. To be normal. For everything to go back to normal.

 

Gladio guffaws and slams the tabletop lightly with his good arm. “Man Iggy, where'd you hear something like that? It's friggin hilarious!” The aide sends him a small smug smirk, clearly pleased with his information gathering skills. “I may be blind Gladio, but that doesn't mean I can't dig out secrets.” The older man laughs, reaches over to pat the other on the shoulder heartily. “Ah well, ain't that the truth?” Noctis smiles at their antics and chuckles along with them. Somehow in the war, Gladio had managed to mangle his left arm, leaving only a stump which was now replaced with high tech prosthetics. Ignis on the other hand suffered a lot, his eyesight completely robbed when enemies slashed at his face. He now wears sunglasses all the time, but he never did give up. In fact, his hearing has become sharper than ever. Noctis himself lost a lot too, especially something precious.

 

They were warriors at heart, and they truly believed in beating the insurmountable odds stacked against them. What they lost, they mourned and remembered; yet they continued to fight for the sake of their country, for the sake of the world and for the sake of the ones they love.

 

“So your highness, I see you are planning to go somewhere after breakfast?” inquires his mother hen while adjusting his glasses, an unbreakable habit. “Yeah, I am.” he answers, noting the sad look his head of guard gives him. He sighs softly, and places his fingers on each temple. “I know what you're going to say, and I understand completely.” He looks at them both, desperation colouring the tips of his voice. “But I can't. I can't not go. You know that.” Ignis seals his lips into a tight line while Gladio finds interest in his boots. The raven lets his head droop, locks of hair covering his eyes. The silence is terse, palpable enough to slice a knife through it. “Just don't lose yourself, eh Noct?” says Gladio after a while. “Come back home.”

 

* * *

 

 

He curses under his breath for the umpteenth time when the sole of his shoe lands on something sticky. _Oh Etro, let it only be mud and not something else._ He shakes his foot in the air and continues trudging up the small hill located not too far from the palace. The earth is soft underneath his weight, the grass still mildly damp with dew. The chilly autumn wind breezes past, ruffling his already messy hair even further and forcing him to hug his jacket tightly to his body. He was no longer a spring chicken, his aching knees groaning under the strain he was putting them through. He had to pause halfway for several moments before walking again.

 

The higher he went, the colder and harsher the wind whipped at his face, his nose turning red. Still, he resolutes himself to reach the top be it hail or lightning cometh. The now older king breathes heavily through his nostrils, pacing himself slowly as he continues climbing the hill to reach his destination. There were hardly any of the sun's rays, obstructed by ominous dark clouds in the sky.

 

Noctis smiles when he finally reaches the crest of the grassy hill, pushing himself with his last reserves of energy underneath the large oak tree. “Hey there buddy. Hope you're doing okay.” He glances down at the black gravestone; engraved in silver writing is the name ' _Prompto Argentum'_. “Don't mind if I take a seat would you? To be honest my knees are killin' me.” The raven slowly sits himself down in front of the gravestone, the small action somehow taking him a mighty piece of effort.

 

He kneads his knees as he sits cross-legged in front of his friend. “Yesterday was kinda crazy at the palace actually. The... whatcha' call it.. Ah, advisors. Right. They had a proposition for me again.” Prompto was silent, but Noctis continued anyway. “Kept on asking me to take a wife you know, get an heir to continue the bloodline and all...” His gaze drifts off, looking at nothing in particular but imagining everything in his head. Prompto as youthful as he remembers, grinning like an idiot at him, the blond mirroring his seating position and laughing at his predicament. “But I told them that if I have to love someone else, then... Then I don't need love anymore.” he ends his statement with a cynical laugh. Prompto frowns, reaches for his shoulder and pats it gently. Even though he can see it happening, Noctis cannot feel his touch. The raven clenches his fists, his throat goes dry.

 

“Why did you do it Prom? Why did you leave?” The blond's eyes go wide for a split second, then return to their default sunny setting. He smiles softly, and Noctis wants to kiss him. Wants to hold him and never let go. Wants him, so badly. A strangled sound lodges itself in his throat so he swallows. “Prom, why did you leave me?” he whispers. The thunder rolls overhead, flashes of light zapping across the sky. Prompto does not say a word, merely pushes himself up and wraps his arms around Noctis' neck like he always does.

 

The king hangs his head on his chest. He can see it, but he can't feel it. He knows for a fact that Prompto is there, but he questions his own sanity about it even though his powers allowed him to see the light of those who have passed. What was he doing? “You know Prom, these days I'm just carrying so many memories that I can't walk. Most days I don't even want to get out of bed.” Prompto remains silent, nuzzling his forehead tentatively like a pup. “There's this weight on my shoulders, the weight of my people, my own friends... Their expectations and the promise I made to my father, I-...” Noctis looks up into baby blue eyes, wishing he could drown in them for real. “I wake up in the mornings, always frightened out of my mind at the thought of losing you, but then again you're already gone and the bed feels so cold, and I feel so empty. So, so empty.”

 

The blond sends him a sad smile, placing his hands on either side of his face and caressing his cheeks. The raindrops have started to fall, their steady rhythm pounding into the earth, half of them caught in the eaves of the tree. His clothes were steadily becoming soaked, however Prompto remained dry. “Wanting the past more than the future...that's how much you're a part of me Prom.” He reaches out both hands to place them over the blond's, attempts to stroke the skin there in vain. “ I love you Prom. I love you.” His voice shook, close to breaking. "I love you so, so much..." Prompto pulls him close, plants a kiss on his forehead like he did in the dream. Noctis screws his eyes shut, for what he doesn't know.

 

All he does know is that when he opens them again, Prompto is already gone. The hollowness returns to his chest in strong waves, a never-ending onslaught of pain coursing through his veins. He clutches wildly at the spot above his heart, hoping if not to fill some of the void then at least lessening the unbearable hurt there. The rain pours heavily onto him, gathering at the crown of his head and trailing downwards towards his chin with the help of gravity.

 

Noctis lifts his head upwards to face the water droplets falling from the sky, catching them on his eyelids. Mixed with the cool essence of the rain drops flowed his own warm tears, shed from the grief of his own heart. _I want to protect you but I can't. I'm just screaming in the rain._ He pounds a weak fist into the ground, his body trembling not from the cold. The king of Lucis sobs loudly, his heart shredded to pieces, his voice stifled by the sound of the squall.

 

_I won't forget you Prompto. Ever. This lonely rain of mine will keep falling until I see you again._

* * *

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Haha, love the concept of the chocobros growing older in the game (and hopefully somewhat more mature)   
> I made an assumption about their injuries, it's not canon so no worries just yet ;)


End file.
